1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a terminal device for connection of an electrical cable to an electrical device, wherein the electrical cable is connected to a plug, especially a plug which has a RJ-45 plug pattern, for insertion into a corresponding socket of the electrical device.
2. Description of Related Art
Terminal devices for connecting an electrical cable to an electrical device, especially to a communications means, for example a computer, notebook or telephone system, are known. The electrical cable is easily connected to the electrical device by the electrical cable being connected to a plug and this plug being plugged into a corresponding socket on the electrical device. To simplify connection of the electrical cable to the electrical device, it is conventional for at least one end of the cable to be already connected to the plug. Known terminal devices consist on a standardized basis of a cable-side, eight-pin plug which is known in practice as a RJ-45 plug or Western plug and a corresponding device-side terminal socket. The plug is generally connected to the cable with al crimp connection technique, but can also be soldered to it. Generally the plug is fixed by a means of a catch arm when it is plugged into the socket, but can also be held by an attachment hook which is present on the socket or the electrical device or can be screwed to the electrical device by means of screws. In semi-industrial installation of devices with this terminal hardware, the unprotected terminal device can be damaged as a result of severe conditions and mechanical stresses.
It is therefore one object of the present invention to overcome the deficiencies of the prior art and to provide a terminal device which ensures both secure attachment of the electrical cable to the electrical device and also mechanical protection both of the electrical cable and also the plug with a low space requirement and low material cost.
The above object, and other objects, are achieved by providing a terminal device wherein that the electrical cable can be inserted together with the plug into the housing and is held in it in the inserted state, and wherein the electrical cable or the plug connected to the electrical cable can be immobilized on the socket or the electrical device by a catch device located on the housing. In one embodiment, the terminal device includes a housing which holds the cable which has been connectorized with the plug. This embodiment offers the advantage that the electrical cable and plug are protected by the housing against external effects and at the same time can be attached to the socket or the electrical device by the catch device located on the housing. Because the electrical cable together with the plug is held in the housing, the tensile forces acting on the cable are kept away both from the cable-plug connection site and also from the plug-socket connection site. The, terminal device is otherwise characterized by the fact that it can be easily retrofitted since the housing is a separate component which can be connected subsequently to a cable which has been connectorized with a plug.
Advantageously, the housing consists of a housing body and a housing cover, and the housing cover can be attached to the housing body such that the housing cover, after attachment to the housing body, is pivotally connected to it. In this way the electrical cable together with the plug can be especially easily inserted first into the housing body (the cable and plug can be connected to the socket before the housing cover is attached to the housing body) and then closed with a swiveling motion. The attachment of the housing cover to the housing body and the closing of the housing can advantageously be done especially easily by the housing body and the housing cover being connected to one another via a hinge. The hinge may be made in two parts and the housing cover may include hinge pins while the housing body has the corresponding hinge receptacles. Because the housing is made in two parts, and the hinge which connects the housing body to the housing cover is made in two parts, the cable and plug can be inserted into the housing body only, with the housing cover completely removed, and then the housing cover can be connected easily to the housing body by the execution of the hinge and then closed.
For quick and easy acceptance of the electrical cable and plug, the housing body has an elongated receiving space. The receiving space may include a roughly U-shaped cross section which corresponds essentially to the diameter of the electrical ;cable and the plug. Because the receiving space is thus adapted to the outside contours of the cable and plug, the cable of course being much longer than the receiving space, the cable and plug are supported by the side walls of the receiving space and thus importantly the cable-plug connection site is protected from damage.
The electrical cable and plug are further protected by the housing having a strain relief device and/or antislipping device for the inserted cable. Strain relief devices for electrical cables are commonplace and are generally attached either as a separate part within the housing or, for example, are screwed onto the housing in the form of a PG screw connection from the outside. In the terminal device of the invention, advantageously the strain relief device and/or antislipping device for the inserted cable is/are implemented directly by the housing itself. To do this, either only the housing body or only the housing cover are made accordingly, but preferably both the housing body and also the housing cover are made such that with the housing closed, the housing body and the housing cover jointly accomplish the strain relief for the inserted cable.
Advantageously, on the cable-side end of the receiving space, transversely to its lengthwise extension, elevations are formed on the housing body which project into the receiving space. In the position corresponding to the elevations, a shoulder is made on the housing cover and it extends perpendicular to the base surface of the housing cover such that the shoulder, with the housing closed, i.e. with the housing cover closed, projects into the receiving space. Thus, with the housing closed, the receiving space on its cable-side end is narrowed, on the one hand, by the elevations formed on the housing body, and on the other hand, by the shoulder formed on the housing cover.
In this way a cable which has been inserted into the housing body is clamped securely such that the forces acting on the end of the electrical cable projecting out of the housing are not transferred to the electrical cable-plug connection.
According to a last advantageous embodiment of the invention which will be briefly explained here, the hinge pins are made laterally on the shoulder of the housing cover and the hinge receptacles are made on the cable-side end of the housing body. In this way, on the one hand an especially simple and compact housing can be implemented, while on the other hand, simultaneously with closing of the housing cover, strain relief is accomplished since, when the housing cover is swiveled, the shoulder which is located vertically on the housing cover is swiveled into the receiving space.
In particular, there are a host of possibilities for embodying and developing the terminal device of the invention.